Historic Fruit Trees & Orchards
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Please take a virtual tour of Colorado’s historic fruit trees and orchards mapped to-date. DO NOT VISIT THESE LOCATIONS WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM OWNER/OCCUPANT. You may contact MORP to help receive permission.
MAPPING AWAY IN OLD ORCHARD COUNTRY
Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project maps historic orchards using GIS methods backed up by old fashioned, hand drawn grid maps. Work of this kind, albeit without GPS, has not been approached since Sandsten’s surveys in 1922. In addition to old trees we map associated historical features such as homestead houses and cellars, and tools of the trade like presses, boxes, and ladders. Ideally, even before mapping work begins, MORP creates an orchard narrative to include contact information, general condition of the orchard, and most importantly interview notes with the orchard owner capturing as much historical information connected to the orchard site as possible.
Memories of orchard owners and their families have become as important to us as the rare genetics; together they create a powerful story. All this information is collected on paper and entered into the MORP Orchard Database along with GPS points, field notes, historical research, and photographs. Learn how to document your old orchard here.
To date we have compiled a list of 250 historic orchard sites to visit. Of these, MORP has mapped and documented 111 historic orchard sites containing 5,000 apple trees 80 to 135 years old; approx. 800 other heritage fruit trees, and over 100 historic features.
So many old trees, so little time. Time is of the essence! We need your help to preserve this history before it is gone. Please join our team of fellow fruit enthusiasts by adding trees and orchards to RegisTREE of North America.